"Picky Details" for the Sony DSC-S40 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Sony DSC-S40:

Power

The Sony DSC-S40 uses two AA batteries for power, and ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera. We were unable to measure the power drain levels of the S40; however, given the manual's listing of power consumption at a rate of 0.9W while shooting with the LCD on, the expected battery life would be about 256 minutes. That's using our relatively conservative benchmark of 1600mAh batteries. Not bad at all.

Storage Capacity

The Sony DSC-S40 stores its photos on Memory Stick memory cards or in approximately 32 MB of internal memory, and no card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the internal memory at each size/quality setting.